LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather opened his post-fight press conference by uttering “Hard Work” and waited for his supporters known as “The Money Team” to respond: “Dedication.”
“Hard work.”
“Dedication.”
It certainly took all of that Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for Mayweather to survive a 12-round brawl with Marcos Maidana. Suffering a cut over his right eye and hit more times than in any of his previous 38 fights, Mayweather claimed the WBA and WBC welterweight titles with a majority decision over the rough-and-rugged Argentinian.
Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) consistently pinned Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs) against the ropes where he swung with abandon, trying to inflict any damage he could. He landed 221 punches, more than any Mayweather opponent since such records have been kept by CompuBox. Mayweather landed 230.
There were times it looked more like a wrestling match than boxing with Maidana not shy about landing an illegal blow or two and Mayweather using his elbows to keep Maidana’s head out of his grill.
“I thought I was a boxer and he was a WWE wrestler,” said Mayweather, who was cut by a head-butt in the fourth round.
When he did keep the action in the center of the ring, Mayweather was able to use his hand speed to land enough lead rights and counter hooks to slow Maidana’s attack. But it took all the hard work and dedication Mayweather could muster to win three of the final four rounds on all three judges’ cards. Michael Pernick scored it 114-114, while Burt Clements saw it 117-111 and Dave Moretti 116-112 for Mayweather. The Post scored it 115-113 for Mayweather. Showtime will replay the bout Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET
Maidana thought he did enough to win and asked for a rematch.
“This decision was an injustice,” he said.
Amid talk of a rematch, Mayweather insisted he could have made it an easier fight, if he had chosen to box more.
“I could have made this fight absolutely easy,” he said, “but it would have been boring and I didn’t want to do that to the fans.”
A more critical eye might suggest Mayweather’s 37-year-old legs aren’t as elusive as they once were, putting him in position to take more punches. Mayweather, who was guaranteed to make $32 million compared to $1.5 million for Maidana, also had to endure of series of potential distractions leading up the fight. He took criticism for calling disgraced Clippers owner Donald Sterling “a great guy,” and for posting an ultrasound on Instagram that accused his ex-girl-friend of having an abortion.
There was also a pre-fight controversy about what gloves Maidana would wear. The Nevada Athletic Commission wouldn’t allow Maidana’s original custom-made gloves because of improper padding and the Mayweather camp rejected a second pair the commission approved. Eventually, a settlement was reached though Maidana insisted, “I would have knocked him out if I had my [original] gloves.”
Mayweather insisted it was a safety issue, adding, “If he got his hand raised, he wouldn’t be talking about the gloves.”
What’s next for Mayweather is uncertain. He has three fights remaining on his six-fight deal with Showtime. His next fight is tentatively set for September and could be a rematch with Maidana or a bout with another opponent.